In the beginning of the semester, we learned a little bit about how to create a visual resume. I recently found an article from Mashable, 9 Dynamic Digital Resumes, that gives four great tips for creating a visual resume:
1. Give the reader your history
2. Aesthetics matter
3. Make it personal
4. Use graphics to inform
Do you agree with these principles? Did you use them in your visual resume?
Mashable also posted an article about creating impressive video resumes. It states that in order for a video resume to be successful, you should use the following guidelines:
1. Make sure it's appropriate
2. Don't just read out your resume
3. Keep it short
4. Don't be afraid to be creative
5. Make sure it passes the share test
The article also provides some great examples of video resumes. Have you ever created a video resume? What principles from our Visual Literacy class do you think apply to video resumes?
Great post Allison! After I read the articles you mentioned, I went back and looked at my resume just to find out that all the comments you guys made during the peer-review session fall under one of these tips. As for the video resume, I have never created one and I prefer to stick to the visual resume. However, I believe that we may apply most of the principles we are studying in the visual literacy class to the background where the video will be taped. For example, we need to make sure that there are no figure- ground issues. In other words, the background should be simple to place emphasis on the person himself. Another example would be applying organization and hierarchy to the presented information; it should not be overwhelming or disconnected. I could go on with the different principles that are applicable here…..but I leave that for you guys
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, how are you going to benefit from your visual or video resume? I kept thinking that now we are in age where we need to publicize our talents and skills; would you wait for a job opening to share your resume or would you make sure that it is accessible by as many people as you can. In case you chose the second option, here is an article that tells you where employers usually look in the World Wide Web to find their new employees; maybe you can share your resume too
http://mashable.com/2011/01/10/job-sites-to-bookmark/
Allison, this is a great posting. I wish I read the article you mentioned before I created my visual resume. The article led me to go back to my visual resume and i noticed that I did not use the image that related to my computer skills. I think that using images that related to messages that we want to convey on a visual resume is very important. The images will immediately tell something about the resume. Honestly, I have never created a video resume. I think the principles of creating visual resume could also be applied in creating a video resume.
ReplyDeleteI never considered using a video resume until reading this article...I must ask who is the target employer for creating a video resume or visual resume? That has been my question since we began. Would finance, government, and other business organizations appreciate such creativity?
ReplyDeleteI may be speaking from past experience (finance being my background), but I must say NO! Having the video and visual resume's are a great idea for a resume, however the key components stated in Allison's article all have to do with creativity to some degree. The best advice I have is consider your "audience", organization, and employers who interview you. Too much creativity and aesthetics may take away from actual competencies you intend to market.
I would have to agree with Jessica on her last point. You may not always want to use a visual or video resume. According to the second article about video resumes, if the job you are applying for is not in one of the “online, media, social or creative professions”, a video resume might not be appropriate. Is my opinion that applies to visual resumes as well. Take the visual resumes in the article for example. I’ll be the first to say that Michael Anderson’s resume is visually stunning, and I’d be happy to hang it on my wall. However, as I look for information that is important to me (such as details about his experience) I get a little lost. The visuals become somewhat distracting as I try to decipher their meaning, and written information is a slightly disjointed. The easiest visual resume for me to understand quickly was Jason Takeuchi’s because it was laid out much like a traditional resume with supporting visuals.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the best way to decide if a visual resume is right for the job is to ask what the employer will be looking for. If applying for an entry level non-creative position, which may have a multitude of applicants, the employer might not want to have to slow down to make sense of what they may consider to be useless pictures. On the other hand, if applying for a design position, using a visual or video resume might be just the way to make you stand apart from the rest. As you will notice with the tips for the visual resume at the beginning of Allison post, emphasizing the quality of your design skills (as opposed to detailed background info) on a visual resume might be a much more effective way of demonstrating your fit for one of those creative positions.